My efforts at trying to sleep last night were not great as the guy next to me was a very heavy snorer, and being in-between two people gave me little room for manoeuvre. The plane did go dark with little stars on the ceiling which was a nice effect. By the morning we were given a continental breakfast of a croissant, this fruit cake and a fruit salad. It wasn't very filling though. I loved tracking the journey on the interactive map, and I also got a perfect view of us going into the sunrise. All in all it was a pretty smooth plane ride.
By 8.30 we arrived in Sydney, and despite having a night of tossing and turning felt quite fresh. I think flying through the night and having such a small difference in time zones prevented the jet lag. I was quite chuffed at the airport because I got straight through security, whereas most people had additional searches! I then exited the airport and that's when it really sank in that I was in Australia!
I had originally been debating whether to walk into Sydney, or to catch the train, as the main station was only about 6 miles from the airport. In the end I took the train, and was shocked to find out it was nearly 20 dollars! A short journey on the double decker train which had seats which could be changed between forward and backward facing, I arrived in Sydney. First stop was the greyhound centre where I collected the bus pass I was using up the east coast. I basically have an online account where I can select the bus I want, and then the bus driver will have a clipboard with my name on when boarding. I will soon see if it's really that simple!
As I couldn't check into my hostel until after 2, I decided to take a walk round the city. At the airport they gave us these concise paperback books of Sydney so I decided to follow one of the walking trails give or take a bit. First stop was the Sydney Harbour Bridge which I decided to cross. This gave me amazing views over the vast harbour, and of the impressive city skyline and opera house. I managed to find a few viewpoints the other side including one next to the cities adventure park.
It was then back over the bridge to get a closer look at the opera house, which is actually like a tiled cream colour, although all my photos keep showing it white like I have always pictured it! After walking round this impressive piece of infrastructure, I headed into the neighboring Rocks area. This is where the first Europeans migrated creating white Australians. There was a nice market here and many food places, although I had to go to McDonalds to get something greasy in my stomach after Thailand! This did give me my first idea that Australia is a very expensive place to live! To make you jealous though they sold triple cheeseburgers, mega macs and even meat based salads in there!
After lunch it was off to the Royal Botanical Gardens. Housing many different plants, trees and sculptures, it was just a pleasant and clean place to walk around. Round the other side of the gardens was a fantastic viewpoint which gave a brilliant photo opportunity of the bridge and opera house combined. After walking further through the gardens seeing more flowers and things, it was off to St Marys cathedral which was like sandstone with lots of stained glass windows. It was a relaxing experience sitting inside.
I then headed for Sydney Tower, passing through Hyde park with its impressive fountain en route. I was going to go up the tower but couldn't justify the price, and it also seemed silly as I was doing the harbour bridge tomorrow too. This area was also home to many designer shops, all part of the big Westfield centre and surrounding high street.
By now I had completed a big circle, so it was off to Base as it was already about 5 by this time. The overall hostel was really nice with a large social area, and my room consisted of 4 bunks. I met two guys from London in my room who have come here to work. The room also had big lockers to put stuff in as well which was useful.
After freshening myself up and getting my stuff sorted, I headed out to an internet cafe to try and plan an itinerary. I didn't get very far. By now it was getting late, so I went to subway for dinner, yes my diet has been poor today! I did however book a couple of trips for Saturday and Sunday upon arrival back at the hostel. By the time I returned to my room people were asleep, so I lay in bed for a while just thinking about what to do, before slowly drifting off to sleep.
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